tance and want blooms to arrive in as good 
condition as possible a good way 1s to put a 
small rubber balloon of water on the end of 
the stems and fasten it on with rubber bands. 
What is a seedling? 
A seedling is a new variety, usually unnamed 
but not always, that has not yet been introduced 
to the trade. 
Brief list of requirements for 
growing good gladiolus 
No. 1. Have good bulbs. 
No. 2. Disinfect with Lysol, New Improved 
Ceresan or dust with DDT Containing 
Copper or with the Enuf Brand that I 
list on page 57. This latter is both a 
fungicide and insecticide. Spergon is 
also highly recommended. 
. Any kind of soil. If the soil is hard or 
sandy and can’t be watered a 3” mulch 
of sawdust or shavings or buckwheat 
hulls or ground corn cobs or most any- 
thing else will hold the moisture and 
be very beneficial to the glads. 
. Full sunshine all day. 
. Do not plant near trees or strong grow- 
ing plants that rob the soil of moisture 
or food. 
. Good drainage. Glads will not tolerate 
‘“‘wet feet.’’ But if the drainage is good 
they will take a lot of water to ad- 
vantage especially when they come into 
bud and bloom. 
. Go easy on fertilizer. You can put some 
deep in the trench below the bulbs or 
can side dress once or twice during the 
season but don’t over do it. 
. Spray or dust every week or ten days 
with DDT or other insecticide from the 
time they are a few inches tall. If using 
DDT better put in some Black Leaf 40 
or some insecticide that will kill aphis 
or other insects that sometimes carry 
bean mosaic. Enuf Brand is very good, 
contains rotenone that kills most 
insects. 
. When cutting blooms leave at least 4-5 
leaves to nourish the new bulb that is 
forming. 
. Dig a month or so after blooming or 
leave longer if possible and if the plants 
are still green. Plants should be green at 
digging time. 
When digging cut the stem tight to the 
bulb. Dust the bulbs with DDT or Enuf 
or Spergon. 
Dry in a cool airy place for two weeks 
or more and don’t have the bulbs more 
than four inches deep in the tray or box 
you put them in. A warm place is best 
if airy. The moisture must get out of 
the bulbs as soon as possible. Heat, and 
an electric fan does a good job. 
No. 
No. 
No. 11. 
No. 12. 
63 
No. 13. When the old bulbs can easily be re- 
moved from the new ones (in 2 or 3 
weeks) take off the old bulbs and save 
the bulblets if you want to grow them 
on. Then let the bulbs dry out more for 
two or three weeks before putting them 
away for the winter. Put on some more 
DDT or Enuf Brand or Spergon at this 
time after cleaning. This is said to help 
keep the bulbs healthy during the 
winter. Keep cool during the winter. 40 
to 50 degrees is OK. A warmer storage 
temperature is now favored over a too 
cool one. Very small lots can be put in 
paper bags. Discard all bulbs showing 
disease. But small scabs that can be 
lifted out with the finger nail don’t do 
any harm. They just don’t look so good. 
But bulbs showing any disease lesions 
that eat into the bulbs should be de- 
stroyed. There is no cure for a diseased 
bulb. 
A 6 page circular of growing instructions giving 
all details for growing them goes with every order. 
Shows 
There is a lot of fun in growing glads for 
the shows and winning prizes. In show grow- 
ing you handle the bulbs about the same as 
growing for pleasure but you have to do things 
a little better than usual. Make 2 or 3 plant- 
ings of the same variety a week or so apart and 
give them good care with some fertilizer and 
lots of water. Give them plenty of room, 6-8 
inches apart. Get them to the shows in good 
condition with as many open as possible and 
no bruising of petals. Remember there are 
different size classifications in all of which 
you may win prizes. 
Spotted blooms 
In a few varieties the color peels out in spots 
under bad weather conditions. This is not usual, 
however. But if your blooms get badly spotted, 
chances are it is ‘‘bean mosaic,’’ a disease car- 
ried by insects other than thrips. Bulbs so 
affected should be destroyed. To avoid this 
condition you should spray or dust with an 
insecticide that will kill aphis and leaf hoppers. 
I suggest Enuf Brand, mentioned on page 57 of 
this catalog. Enuf is both an insecticide and 
fungicide. It contains Rotenone that is death to 
most insects. 
Thrips 
This is an insect and not a disease as some 
people think. It can easily be avoided by dis- 
infecting before planting, spraying or dusting 
with DDT during the growing season, and again 
dusting at digging time and after cleaning. 
Every gardener should have a spray or dust gun 
around and it is very easy to go over the glads. 
